In the field of telephone conferencing, it is known for various users to ‘dial-in’, or otherwise connect to, a conference bridge from a variety of locations in order to participate in a telephone conference session. Typically, the conference bridge is provided by an external media server and, as such, the external media server ‘hosts’ the telephone conference session.
It is often the case that multiple users connect to a telephone conference session from a single location, such as an office building. Multiple users participating in such a telephone conference session from a common location may utilise, for example, a meeting room provided with telephone conferencing equipment, such that only a single connection into the telephone conference session is required for those multiple users. However, it is often the case that, for example due to time pressures, the need for computer access or a need to access other resources, etc, multiple users participating in a telephone conference session from a common location often dial-in to the telephone conference session using separate telephone connections. For example, multiple users within an office building may dial-in separately from their desks, or from specialised areas such as near to workstations or other forms of equipment.
FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a telephone conference session 100, as is known in the art. The telephone conference session 100 is hosted by an external media server, which for the illustrated example is in the form of a media gateway (MGW) 110, and which comprises a conference bridge (not shown) for establishing a telephone conference service between multiple connections.
Typically, users may access a telephone conference session being hosted by an external media server using fixed (land) lines, such as may form part of a public switched telephone network (PSTN), for example whereby a plurality of such fixed lines within, say, an office building, may be connected to the external media server via a local private branch exchange (PBX). Accordingly, for the illustrated example, a plurality of users located within a common location 130, such as within an office building, are participating in the telephone conference session 100 by way of a plurality of fixed-line telephone equipment, illustrated generally at 120, and a plurality of fixed-line telephone connections. For the illustrated example, the plurality of fixed line telephone equipment 120 is connected to the MGW 110 by a plurality of telephone lines 135 running between the common location 130 and the PBX 140, and a trunk line 145 running between the PBX 140 and the MGW 110.
Alternatively, users may access a telephone conference session being hosted by an external media server using mobile telephone handsets, whereby each mobile telephone handset may be connected to the external media server via a local base station, or femto-cell access point (AP) or NodeB in 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) parlance, with such a connection being routed through the core network of the wireless communication network to the external media server. Accordingly, for the illustrated example, a plurality of users located within a common location 160, such as within an office building, are participating in the telephone conference session 100 by way of a plurality of wireless communication units, such as mobile telephone handsets, illustrated generally at 150, and thus by way of a plurality of wireless telephone connections. For the illustrated example, the plurality of wireless communication units 150 are connected to the MGW 110 by a plurality of radio frequency (RF) connections 155 between themselves and one or more radio network sub-systems (RNSs) 170, for example comprising one or more local NodeBs 172 and one or more radio network controllers (RNCs) 174. Such a NodeB 172 may comprise a traditional macro-cell or micro-cell NodeB 172, as defined within the 3GPP specifications. Alternatively, such a NodeB 172 may comprise a femto-cell or pico-cell base station, often referred to as an access point (AP). The wireless telephone connections are then routed from the RNS 170, via a BACKHAUL connection 175 between each RNS 170 and its associated core network 180 to the MGW 110.
An advantage for a user to dial-in to the telephone conference session 100 using a wireless communication unit, such as a mobile telephone handset, is that it enables the user to dial-in from substantially anywhere, and to move around once participating in the telephone conference sessions 100, for example to move from their desk to, say, a work station, or between meeting rooms, etc, whilst staying active within the telephone conference session 100.
However, with the increasing use of wireless communication units, and the increasing demand for bandwidth, both in terms of wireless connections between wireless communication units and base stations, and within the wireless networks themselves, the use of multiple wireless connections by wireless communication units located within a common location when participating in a single telephone conference session is clearly an inefficient use of network resources.
Furthermore, the typical wireless network operator business model involves a wireless subscriber being charged for each connection from their wireless communication unit to the nearest base station, and then beyond that into the core network where a connection is established with, in this scenario, a media server hosting the telephone conference session. Accordingly, in the use of multiple wireless connections by wireless communication units located within a common location, when participating in a single telephone conference session, results in each of the wireless subscribers being individually charged for their respective wireless connection.